A study published in Headache (2006;46(10):1492–1502) compared acupuncture with standard drug therapy for preventing migraine headaches. The trial included 114 adults with a documented history of migraines.

Before treatment began, participants kept a four-week headache diary to establish a baseline. They were then randomly assigned to one of two groups for 12 weeks:

  • Acupuncture group: Received 8–15 acupuncture treatments

  • Medication group: Received metoprolol, a commonly prescribed migraine-prevention drug

Dropout Rates

  • Only 2 participants in the acupuncture group withdrew

  • 18 participants in the medication group withdrew (some due to drug side effects; one reported worsening headaches)

Study Findings

After 12 weeks:

  • 61% of acupuncture patients experienced 50% or fewer migraine attacks

  • 49% of medication patients saw the same level of improvement

Follow-Up Assessments

At 12-week follow-up (24 weeks from baseline):

  • 70% of acupuncture patients rated their condition as “good” or “very good”

  • Only 49% of medication patients reported similar improvement

At 24-week follow-up (36 weeks from baseline):

  • 56% of acupuncture patients still rated their condition as “good” or “very good”

  • Only 26% of the medication group reported the same

Conclusion

In this study, acupuncture performed as well as or better than metoprolol for migraine prevention, with fewer dropouts, fewer side effects, and a higher percentage of long-term improvement.

Educational only — not medical advice.